Review: Spectre Lacks Bond Punch

The 24th installment in the James Bond franchise, Spectre, came out last week to mixed reviews. But it topped 70 million at the box office opening weekend. Is it worth for you? Here’s our breakdown.

Plot: Rather boring and repetitive; compared to other James Bond films it was a rinse and repeat method, so to speak. Bond hunts down an unknown criminal organization, survives assassins at every turn, and tries to rescue the girl before a bomb goes off. Ever heard that one before? The plot is definitely a letdown after the twists and turns of the previous hit film, Skyfall. A two and a half hour movie requires more originality.

Characters: Much like the plot, the characters are too conventional—many seem tired and limited in their roles. Two exceptions are Moneypenny and Q, played by Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw. They are vibrant and engaged in their roles even with an uninspired James Bond, played by Daniel Craig—which in part makes sense. When asked whether he would play Bond again, Craig responded, “I’d rather slash my wrists.” In the slim chance Craig does do a fifth Bond movie, it would be for the money, he admitted..

Gadgets and Gizmos: A classic feature of the Bond series, the gadgets too fail to meet expectations. When Bond makes his trip to Q’s laboratory to pick up his new toys, the big reveal is a watch. And even more, when Bond asks Q about the watch’s purpose, she answers, “It tells the time.” This is so lame that “big-money advertising contracts” is written all over the scene Needless to say, in the film the watch contributes to no death-defying escape. To be fair, Bond’s car, an Aston Martin DB10, loaded with missiles and machine guns, is pretty cool. But overall, the gadgets were predictable and unimaginative. Even the microchips injected into Bond’s bloodstream to monitor his location and health were recycled from the 2006 hit, Casino Royale.

Special Effects and Action: A bright spot in the production, the special effects are incredibly well done. The movies explosions are done with a bang, leaving the viewer with expected and elaborate action scenes. The intensity of the fighting and chase scene keeps you on the edge of your seat. With a whopping $300 million budget, there’s not much originality, but you get what you came for.

Rating: We rate Spectre 6/10. It lacked in plot and character development but made some ground with impressive action and special effects. Certainly, it does not score as high as many of the other Bond films, but it’s decent enough to keep the series going.